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- FoodTech Weekly #156 by Daniel S. Ruben
FoodTech Weekly #156 by Daniel S. Ruben
News on FoodTech, food, and society
Daniel S. Ruben
July 14, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes
FoodTech Weekly #156
Hi there,
On Sep 7, 2023, I will be at The Drop, a one-of-a-kind EU-funded climatetech conference in Malmö, Sweden. I was there last year and it was fun! This year I’ll co-host a Ripple roundtable together with Anna Ottosson of microfund Mudcake. Here’s a link that gives 10% off, for just 10 tickets. If these tickets sell out, use this waitlist link instead. Join me at The Drop to make unexpected connections, have your mind changed by fresh takes on climate solutions, and meet the people who could change the trajectory of your climate career. And to have a great time, of course 🙂
This week's rundown:
Aphea.bio scores $70M Series C to help farmers cut fertilizer and pesticide use in a sustainable way, without losing yield
Fermify of Austria expands $5M Seed round with new investment; aims to grow casein in bioreactors
How smallholder farmers in Senegal and Bangladesh use tech to improve farming outcomes
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Noteworthy
Belgian AgTech startup Aphea.Bio has harvested a $70M Series round from investors such as the Gates Foundation, BNP Paribas, Astanor, and ECBF. Aphea.Bio works on pesticide alternatives, using microbes to help farmers cut the use of fertilizers and pesticides without compromising on crop yields.
NetZeroNitrogen of the U.K. has bagged a $1.6M pre-seed round, for its alternative to synthetic nitrogen fertilizer. The round was led by Revent VC and Zero Carbon Capital, and also received a non-dilutive grant from Innovate UK. The funding will allow NetZeroNitrogen to conduct field trials for its alternative product.
Canadian company Index Biosystems has developed a way to use a single-cell microorganism and water to trace any type of food product to its point of origin. The company creates a baker’s yeast barcode called a BioTeag, and then e.g. sprays it onto a product such as wheat. The BioTag is incredibly sticky when applied and remains attached to the surface of the grains, even throughout milling.
Scientists from Scotland have extracted a chemical from daffodils that they believe could help cut cow methane emissions by up to 30%. The extract will now be evaluated at several UK dairy farms.
Harvesting robot company inaho Europe says it has developed a new version of its autonomous tomato harvesting robot that is 8x faster than the previous model. The robot can harvest 12 kgs (26 lbs) of snack tomatoes per hour, and is approaching the picking cost of human labor, the company says. Here’s a 1 min video of the robot in action. Robotic picking is set to be a $6.8B market by 2030, some analysts claim.
Image: inaho Europe
The WHO has released an interesting report with recommendations on policies to protect children from the harmful impact of food marketing. It calls for mandatory regulation of marketing of products high in fats, sugar, and sodium (HFSS).
Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have developed an edible, biodegradable and transparent material using soy protein isolate, which they hope could eventually become a viable alternative to plastic food packaging.
Austrian precision fermentation startup Fermify which aims to grow the dairy protein casein in bioreactors has expanded its $5M Seed round from May with an undisclosed sum from its new partners Interfood and Cremer Holding.
Pitchbook has launched its Q2 2023 FoodTech Public Comp Sheet and Valuation Guide. The data shows that the performance of FoodTech stocks pretty much matches the market as a whole.
Israeli startup Melodea, which produces sustainable barrier coatings for packaging, has launched a new water-based, plant-based barrier product allowing for recyclability of plastic food packaging, and beyond. The barrier helps keep food such as meat, dairy, snacks, and nutrition bars fresh while cutting down plastic waste (as it can help replace plastic films, pouches, bags, lidding, and blister packs).
Image: Melodea
How illiterate farmers in Senegal are using voice notes on What’s App to share best practices for farming, e.g. how to fight pests without chemicals. Meanwhile in Bangladesh, farmers may soon have a smartphone app to help them tell what breed their cows are.
Dutch sustainable aquaculture company The Kingfish Company has banked €32M in convertible debt from Ocean 14 Capital.
Coca-Cola has established a $137M VC fund which will be managed by VC firm Greycroft and focus on sustainability investments within packaging, heating and cooling, facility decarbonization, distribution, and the supply chain. In related news, Spring Lane Capital of Boston and Montreal has secured $290M for its second sustainable infrastructure fund which will invest in e.g. food-related areas such as organic fertilizer, green ammonia, and biofuels.
Arrive (which used to be called Dronedek) has raised $1.3M in its latest round of crowdfunding; in total, the company has raised $9M from some 5,000 investors. The startup develops intelligent mailboxes for drone deliveries.
DigitalFoodLab has run the funding numbers for the first half of 2023 and found that grocery delivery still raises the most — 4 of the top 10 global deals, and half of Europe’s top 10. In addition, DigitalFoodLab believes at least 4 out of the top 10 European FoodTech startups that raised the most during H1 2023 are in bad shape, namely Flink, Jokr, Gousto, and Ÿnsect.
Source: DigitalFoodLab
News from the FoodTech Weekly community
GFI Europe (remote) is looking for a Scientific Partnerships Manager… Ordinary Seafood (Germany) has a number of open roles, including e.g. Sr. Food Technologist and Molecular Biologist… Gourmey (France) has several vacancies incl. Senior Bioprocess Engineer and Stem Cell Researcher… Nosh.bio (Germany) is hiring a Business Development Intern… Essential (remote/East Africa) is recruiting a Fungal Fermentation Scientist… Acre Venture Partners (US) is looking for a Pre-MBA Associate… Nutreco (Netherlands) wants to bring on an Investment Associate… Sphera Encapsulation (Italy) has an open position for a Postdoc Researcher.
The WFP Innovation Challenge is looking for game-changing solutions that offer relief and end hunger. Applicants can receive up to $100K in equity-free funding. Deadline July 19. More info here.
Germany-based aponix is looking for initiatives, new users and local sales partners for their modular urban horticulture/greening infrastructure components to grow, display and dispense plants in versatile and co-creative ways throughout your city. Available solutions: Vertical Barrel / 3D-NFT, WallSystem, Young Plant/Microgreen Tray Set. For more details please visit: https://www.aponix.eu and say hello to Marco Tidona ([email protected])
Want to share some FoodTech news/project with other FoodTech Weekly subscribers? Hit reply.
Random Stuff
Martha Mutschler-Chu, a plant breeder and geneticist at Cornell University has developed over a dozen new lines of naturally pest-resistant tomatoes. It could take up to five years before these new tomatoes reach the grocery store produce aisles. Quick inspiring read!
Strategically located algae farms could increase global food production by 56%, using just one-tenth of cropland; exciting read from Anthropocene Magazine.
Hot dog eating contests have become more competitive; the winning number of hot dogs consumed per contest has increased by over 6x since 1980, despite the fact that the contest duration is now 2 minutes shorter. The higher hot dog consumption number is due to ‘technical efficiency’, physiological advantages like a long torso, and ‘capacity for suffering.’
Source: WaPo
I love you.
Daniel
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This issue was produced while listening to Just the Two of Us by Grover Washington, Jr. and Bill Withers. Follow me on LinkedIn and Twitter. And here's The Appetizer which I co-host. Did your brilliant friend forward this to you? Subscribe here.